


Bargain

by FirebirdsDaughter



Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: Kamen Rider Zero-One
Genre: "Pick Who Dies", Blackmail, Gen, In the Hands of the Enemy, No. 2 - Freeform, Pain, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26823211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FirebirdsDaughter/pseuds/FirebirdsDaughter
Summary: The Ark does not do things for free.
Relationships: Horobi & Jin (Kamen Rider Zero-One), Horobi & The Ark (Kamen Rider Zero-One)
Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953325
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Bargain

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober 2020  
> Day 2  
> In The Hands Of The Enemy/"Pick Who Dies"  
> [Tumblr Version](https://firebirdsdaughter.tumblr.com/post/631081715089145856/whumptober-2020-day-2)

Deep in the lower reaches of the ruined building, what had once been the basement was a hive of wires and broken android bodies—torn apart, lining the floor, or cocooned in massive wires, decorating the walls or secured to the ceiling. The intact ones had wires crawling out of their wounds, the shattered ones growing cables almost in place of their missing parts.

Horobi ignored most of them, staring straight ahead at the severely damaged HumaGear sat up against the far wall, head lolling uselessly to the side. Half of her face was missing as if torn out—her left arm was stripped down to the metal skeleton, her left leg ending at the knee, wires hanging out, whole patches of her artificial skin were burned and melted away, the rest cracked and greying, the framing beneath fractured and disfigured. Her original appearance was lost completely, features mutilated and sunken beneath a veil of melted, discoloured hair, all snarled together.

He’d only seen the projected version, the picture she’d used to speak to him, clean and presentable. Ironically, the poster girl of what humans thought the perfect HumaGear would be. But this… This was her true body—what was left of it, at least.

He’d lain his son out of the cleanest spot of floor he could find, right by the door, then turned and walked forward to the centre of the room to face her, watching the still, broken body. For a moment, nothing happened—it was complete and utter silence. He couldn’t even detect the movements of animals, or even the wind, like nature itself had abandoned this place.

The the body twitched, sparking—the head snapped up twisting around to face him, red light gathering in the only intact eye.

 **We meet face to face at last**. Rumbled a voice in his mind.

Horobi hesitated, trying to decide how to reply—finally, he decided to merely say, “… Thank you.”

The head tilted too far to the side. **Like I said** , the voice continued, **My assistance is not free**.

Those words set of multiple alarums across Horobi’s system, but he forced himself to shut them off and stay rooted to the spot. His sense was screaming at him to take his child and flee, get Jin as far away from the humans who would undoubtedly be searching for them, from… This. But he had accepted the deal, and the voice, the Ark, had been abundantly clear that the power she offered came with a price.

“… I understand.”

 **Do you?** There was something amused about her tone, and the head flopped over to the other side. **Tonight you saw humans’ true nature, how deep their cruelty runs** _._ The head straightened back up, and though the rest of the body did not move at all, Horobi had the distinct sense that the Ark was looking past him and at Jin. **They will never stop hunting him**.

He knew that, very well. It had been made obvious by their behaviour. He risked a glance back at his son, still in sleep mode, looking much too angelic and peaceful for the horror surrounding them, for what he had been through. Had the humans changed his settings? Damaged him in some way? He wanted to spirit Jin far away to keep him safe, but… could they ever _be_ safe as long as…?

 **No**. The Ark replied shortly. **Humans will always destroy anything that does not fit their designs. They will not stop until they erase him, no matter how far you try run**. The expanse of her knowledge beat against his mind again, seeping through the cracks, just like she had the first time. And now, the holes were just that much larger, the thoughts getting in that much easier. **What I need will benefit us both. Humans are a blight upon the earth. And besides this, your son will never truly be free or safe whist they continue to exist**.

After the night’s events, there was really no way he could argue with her. But at the same time… Was there a point in resisting? What could he do? Would he not be painting a target on his child’s back? Drawing their attention? He glanced back at Jin again. He… Didn’t want to die. He wanted to stay with Jin, raise him. Be his father. He didn’t… “… What do you need?” Maybe it was simple. Maybe he could help her and then flee with Jin.

 **I need a blade**.

He blinked in confusion, turning back to face her. “What?”

**A figurehead. A mouthpiece. An instrument to enact my will.**

Horobi hesitated. He didn’t… He wanted to be with Jin. To give him a life. A world.

 **As long as humans exist, he will never be safe** , The red flame of the eye glowed brighter, **If you want him to truly be safe, you must join with me**.

He looked away, chewing his lip slightly. “I…”

A high pitched drone filled the air, making him wince and clutch him head. **This is not a request. You agreed to the deal**.

With an even louder screech, cables erupted from the android’s broken body, stabbing sharply into his chest with enough force to knock him back—then they fired off an electrical charge, spasming through his system, forcing him down on one knee when everything glitched out. It wasn’t pain, not really, but the sensation still dragged a choked scream from him as if it was, an emergency response he still hadn’t been able to get rid of. More wires reached out, coiling around him, all the way up his throat, lifting him right off his feet. The cable drove deeper into his chest, his visual display flickering red. He tried to twist free, wincing, but the wires only tightened their hold, especially around his neck.

The fractured, damaged head jolted once more, lifting a bit more to let the damaged hair fall away from the twisted face, the one good eye boring right back into him, the mouth finally moving to form a horrid grin. **I need a blade**. She repeated, with more force, indifferent to his panicked struggling. **And you are the perfect candidate**.

No. He didn’t… He didn’t want… He could feel her sinking her claws into the cracks, pulling them open, seeping in. Rage and hatred and pain clouded his mind, enveloping his thoughts. He felt his memories being pulled away and cried out again, trying to hold onto them. No. No no no no. He didn’t want to forget Jin. That wasn’t part of the agreement.

 **You won’t forget him. Not completely**. She reassured him, though her tone was far from comforting. **Stop struggling. Debts must be paid.**

But this wasn’t…

Her head flopped to the side once more, and he knew she was looking past him again. **Or** … Some more cables reached out, crawling towards Jin, curling around his son’s wrist, **Jin and I are compatible**. She told him—then the red eye fixed on him once more. **You are my sword or he is.**

Horobi’s eyes widened, the memory of Jin’s first smile flashing through his mind. No. He couldn’t let her take that smile anymore than he could let humans do it. He had to protect Jin, keep him safe—no matter what he had to become in the process.

With great effort, he looked back at his son one more time, wishing he could will Jin’s eyes to open—but there was nothing. Jin stayed still, a sleeping angel in a sea of horror. The cables had worked their way up to cover his mouth, too, and he couldn’t speak, just think as hard as he could in his child’s direction.

 _I love you_. _No matter what, always remember it was all for you_.

He closed his eyes.

And let her in.

**Your dream of a world for your son… Belongs to me now.**


End file.
